French Guiana







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This is a video on French Guiana


Economics

GDP- The GDP of French Guiana is, as of 2006, about $8,300, which in Euros, French Guiana's currency, is about 6,256 Euros, which, compared to the rest of the world, is relatively low. It, compared to the rest of the world, is ranked 147 in GDP growth rate. Trade partners include France, Switzerland, and the U.S. The economy is closely tied to the larger French economy. French Guiana is an overseas department of France, and is therefore a market economy.

Trade- ​Since French Guiana is owned by France, it has the same trading items as they do. They are primarily known for exporting bananas, sugar, and rum, while imports normally contain foodstuffs, fuels, vehicles, clothing and other goods that consumers in French Guiana enjoy.


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Culture external image 8644711.jpgexternal image 1.1254094592.traditional-hmong-house.jpg


Religion- Their arre many religions in French Guiana which include Roman Catholic, Amerindian shaministic religions, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and African based religions.
The main religion is Roman Catholic though. 75% of French Guiana is Roman Catholic. Other South American countries with Roman Catholic as their main religion are Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, and Venezuela. They all believe that after death a proper funeral should be held for friends and family.

Dress- French Guiana’s dress is French inspired and western combined. They use light colors and short sleeves because of the hot weather.

Food- French Guiana has other country based food. They mainly have
, Caribbean, Creole, Western, Vaitenmeese, Chinese, Seafood, especially shrimp, and rice is served with most dishes. These are some common meals in French Guiana


Language- Many languages are spoken in French Guiana. Some languages only have 100 people while others have around 50,000 people speaking them. The most common languages are French and Guianese Creole French and the least are Arawak and Wayana.

Entertainment- The people of French Guiana enjoy catching a movie at their local movie theatres or sit down and relax on the couch and watch some T.V. The beaches along Cayenne include great space for picnics, swimming, fishing, and boating. Most of the teens in French Guiana attend dance clubs for fun. The music the people of French Guiana listen to is mostly the drums and a base of a woodwind instrument. For more of a calm activity the people enjoy doing is making cultural crafts out of textiles, pottery, and wood carvings. The people of French Guiana share the same entertainment that the people of the US do.



Sports- French Guiana experiences all types of sports but the top sports played in French Guiana are rugby, football, and soccer. Most sports are played on their free time for entertainment. Playing on the beaches is very popular for the soccer players. The people of French Guiana aren’t as athletic as other countries. Sports are a way to get away from the T.V. and enjoy the tropical weather outside in French Guiana.


Education- The education in French Guiana is split up into many groups. First they are encouraged to enroll in primary education that will last for five years. The primary schools are nearly 100 percent in enrollment. The secondary education is required a four year participation and an additional 3 year part for tertiary institutions. The quality of the schools in French Guiana isn’t terrible but they are lacking high quality because of the small amount of teachers training to teach. Education is mostly held in more remote areas of land that has a limit of natural resources Although the enrollment in education from 1980 to 1993 increased 80 percent in primary education and 87 percent in secondary education they are still trying to improve their education
.



Styles of Homes- The homes in French Guiana are not high quality but they aren’t living on the streets. The houses in the French Guiana are usually located in the city where the land is more flat and gives more area to make houses. The houses are usually painted light colors such as yellow or blue to keep the Caribbean Creole style. The people live under thatched roofed huts. Some wealthy people have much higher quality than other people living in French Guiana.


Geography

French Guiana is the smallest country in South America. With a total area of 91,000 sq km. It has a population of 185,000 people. French Guiana is located west of Suriname and east and south of Brazil. Its climate is tropical; hot, and humid and has very little seasonal variations. There are high points and low points. The highest point is there tallest mountain Mt. Bellevue de’Inini is about 851 meters tall, that is not very tall. The lowest point is very dense river network. Some rivers are Maroni, Mana, Sinnermary, Kourou, Comt’e, Approuague, and Oyapock. There are 3 small islands off the coast of French Guiana called the Iles du Salut. They are really lush islands that attract visitors there. Once they were devil islands penal colony. French Guiana has very good resources such as bauxite, timber, gold (widely scattered), petroleum, kaolin, fish, niobium, tantalum, and clay. The French Guiana is a very small country but it still has a lot of tourist and visitors.

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This is a video of more infomation about the devil islands.

These are picture of the Amazon in French Guaina!
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History


The Arawak Indians are the first people known to inhabit French Guiana. The next people who came to French Guiana were the Caribs. The caribs came from the Amazon and traveled to the Antilles. The Caribs displaced Many of the Arawak. During the age of discovery and Christopher Columbus's journeys, the Caribs were still traveling through the Caribbean. The French were the first Europeans to settle in French Guiana. The French settlers arrived in the 1600's, when many of the European powers were colonizing the Americas and looking for the lost city of gold, El Dorado. Between the climate and the Indian attacks, the frist settlement was a failure. In 1634 the French settled again and this time they did not leave. Cayenne was founded as the capital some time later and it has remained the country's largest city. Following a series of agricultural failures and the abolition of slavery in1848, most of the plantations closed. France had sent a lot political prisoners to French Guiana during the French Revolution. In nearly 100 years of operating Devil's Island got more than 70,000 prisoners. All camps were closed in 1945. 20 years later Kourou was once again the spotlight of France and getting its people. This time though, scientists, not prisoners, were arriving, to construct and operate the European Space Agency's rocket- launching center. In 1946 French Guiana not only became a colony but became an official overseas department of France. external image devils_island042.jpg

Government

Type- French Guiana would be classified as a democracy because it an overseas department of France, and therefore does not have its own independent government. France's government type is a republic, so French Guiana would also be classified as one as well.

History of Government - French Guiana was first dicovered during the voyages of Christopher Columbus, and that is when it was claimed. This is when it must have inherited France's government and economy. The first city to be established was Cayenne (1637). The French eventually gained control of the area, but the British, and Dutch also tried to establish colonies there. The French got control in 1817. In 1848 the people were considered full citizens and they also received the right to vote. Another big change came when slavery was abolished that same year. The end of slavery also meant the end of the plantations that had depended on slavery. French Guiana was also famous for the prisons established there, the most famous one was called "Devil's Island ." French Guiana was allowed to send representatives to the the French Parliament in 1870, and it was designated a département , or "adminstrative district," in 1946.

Government Involvement in Daily Life- As stated previously, French Guiana is a market economy, which is a democracy. They use the same system of government that America does, and they even use the system of balancing out the government we use. French Guiana also uses a system of checks and balances to equal out their government's powers.





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